Gait analysis in Earth City, MO. Gait analysis, also known as motion analysis, is a way physical therapists and other healthcare practitioners can evaluate your movement to offer better therapy and get you back to the things you like doing most. Whether you’re an athlete recovering from an injury or you’re trying to handle chronic pain, gait analysis can be part of an overall, evidence-backed therapy program that’s personalized for your lifestyle and goals.

Your Earth City, MO physical therapist can use gait analysis to:

• Diagnose and treat gait disorders
• Uncover hidden musculoskeletal or nerve impairment that causes pain or affects movement health
• Evaluate and monitor treatment outcomes
• Prevent and rehab injuries
• Prescribe orthotic or prosthetic devices
• Select footwear that’s comfortable and helps prevent injuries

At Axes Physical Therapy in Earth City, MO, our team of physical therapists base our practice on one thing: positive patient outcomes. If you’re wondering if gait analysis is right for you, call the Axes’ location closest to you or make an appointment through our website to get started with your treatment today.

What Is Gait Analysis?

When performed by professional physical therapists, gait analysis is an assessment of how you move, specifically how you walk and run. By understanding how you move, your physical therapist can offer insights into muscle imbalances, injury risks, the progress of injury rehabilitation, and more. Because our gaits our the product of a variety of factors – strength, flexibility, coordination, vision, the vestibular system – gait analysis can provide a valuable look at what may be affecting your movement health.

In a gait analysis appointment, your Axes physical therapist in Earth City, MO will look at:

• Step length and width
• Cadence (number of steps taken per minute)
• Foot and ankle alignment to see if you have tendencies towards pronation (inward rolling) or supination (outward rolling)
• Joint movement and range of motion
• Movement of the pelvis to see if there is excessive rotating or titling
• Stability, balance, and body sway (the amount of lateral movement)
• Step repeatability (the similarity of your steps)

With a precise understanding of your gait, your Earth City, MO physical therapist can tailor your treatment and help you get back to the things you love most.

Who Gait Analysis Can Help in Earth City, MO

While gait analysis isn’t a treatment in and of itself, it offers essential information to your physical therapist about your mobility, allowing them to offer more specific and personalized care. As such, gait analysis can be advantageous for a wide range of people in Earth City, MO:

• Athletes seeking a competitive edge — Proper form becomes crucial at the highest level of competition. Gait analysis allows athletes to improve their form, identify muscle imbalances and limited range of motion, and prevent injury.
• Athletes healing from injury — If you’re coming back from an ACL tear or other sports injury, gait analysis can be used to track how your recovery’s going and ensure that your body is healing and gaining strength properly.
• Anyone else recovering from injury — Whether you were injured on the job, involved in a car accident, or need post-surgical therapy, you don’t have to be an athlete to experience benefits from gait analysis in aiding your recuperation from injury.
• Runners — Whether you’re just starting out in a beginner running program or you’re a seasoned vet, gait analysis can assist you in identifying the appropriate footwear, which, along with further insights from gait analysis, can improve your speed, conserve energy, and minimize the risk of injury.
• Amputees — Having a limb removed can drastically impede your movement health, along with causing phantom pain. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to design and fit orthotic and prosthetic devices customized to your body and lifestyle. It can furthermore support you in adjusting to your new device and optimizing its performance and comfort.
• Those with neurological conditions — Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, stroke, and various conditions can greatly influence our day-to-day functioning and movement health. Gait analysis allows healthcare professionals to monitor disease progression, assess treatment effectiveness, and direct rehabilitation strategies.
• Older adults — Our bodies naturally weaken as we age. This can result in an heightened risk of falling for older adults, as well as degenerative conditions such as tendonitis and arthritis. Gait analysis can be beneficial in discovering ways to alleviate pressure on painful joints, reduce injury risks, and evaluate the cognitive and motor aspects of mobility health.

Regardless of the reason you’re seeking out physical therapy, whether it’s aiming to finally run that marathon or just engage in your daily life without discomfort, Axes’ licensed therapists in Earth City, MO will utilize gait analysis to customize your treatment, optimize your care, and assist you in returning to the activities you cherish.

Two Types of Gait Analysis

There are typically two major types of gait analysis:

1. Qualitative gait analysis — Also known as clinical gait analysis, this technique entails a physical therapist directly watching your gait as you walk and through video recordings. It allows the physical therapist to gain a broad assessment of your mobility health and effortlessly spot any apparent patterns. Qualitative gait analysis depends on the professional judgment of the therapist to make assessments.
2. Quantitative gait analysis — Also known as instrument-assisted gait analysis, this method employs advanced technology, including sensors and motion capture software, to provide objective, quantifiable data about your gait. By employing precise numerical values, it allows greater thorough analysis and monitoring of your improvement over time.

Both clinical and quantitative gait analysis are appropriate in the right circumstances and with specific patients. At Axes, our team in Earth City, MO possesses the capabilities and knowledge to personalize our gait analysis services to meet your individual needs.

Axes’ DorsaVi Video Motion Analysis in Earth City, MO

At Axes, our main aim is achieving positive patient outcomes and helping individuals in returning to what they love most. To accomplish this, we employ every available tool to support our patients in Earth City, MO. When conducting gait analysis in Earth City, MO, our expert physical therapists utilize cutting-edge DorsaVi video motion analysis to provide combined qualitative and quantitative analysis.

With DorsaVi video motion analysis:

• Sensors are placed on your body that record your movement, muscle activity, and static postures
• DorsaVi’s software converts that hard data into helpful information that your physical therapist can review
• During video replay, your movements are slowed down to facilitate a more comprehensive analysis and examination of your movement
• Your Axes’ physical therapist integrates these insights with their clinical observations to prescribe effective, evidence-based treatment modalities
• Your progress is regularly tracked over time and evaluated against the normal population as well as your previous sessions

Axes’ Approach to Gait Analysis in Earth City, MO

Axes Physical Therapy is devoted to offering our Earth City, MO patients with successful, safe, and evidence-backed treatment plans that suit their daily lives and goals. Gait analysis can be part of your customized treatment plan:

• To start the process, consult your doctor to evaluate if gait analysis might be helpful for you, or come to any Axes’ location for a no-risk, no-obligation injury screening.
• We’ll conduct a comprehensive patient interview and assessment to gain insight into your goals, preferences, and health background.
• We’ll create a partnership with you and your doctor, integrating the results of gait analysis into your comprehensive treatment approach, optimizing your mobility health, and promoting overall wellness.
• We’ll develop personalized treatment plans incorporating methodologies that have been confirmed through research and peer-reviewed studies, ensuring their success.
• In addition to providing physical therapy exercises, we’ll support you in selecting proper footwear, braces, or other devices, while educating you on achieving proper posture and enhancing movement health, drawing on insights acquired from gait analysis.
• We’ll utilize gait analysis, together with other measurable information and markers, to constantly assess your progress and adapt your treatment plan accordingly.

Axes delivers much more than simply a list of exercises to tick off. With decades of combined experience, clinical expertise, and innovative technologies at our disposal, Axes provides a specialized team of physical therapists in Earth City, MO who are determined to deliver optimal results in your treatment.

Other services we offer in Earth City, MO include:

• Physical Therapy Clinic
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
• Sciatica Treatment
• Sports Medicine
• Hand Pain Physical Therapy
• Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
• Hip Pain Treatment
• Plantar Fasciitis Treatment
• Stroke Rehabilitation
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Call Axes’ for Your Gait Analysis in Earth City, MO Today

Gait analysis is an invaluable tool that can positively contribute to your overall health and movement health, whether that involves gliding down the court or climbing stairs without discomfort. As we are committed to providing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans, we are among the limited number of clinics in the Earth City, MO area that provide video motion analysis. If you want to improve your movement health, reach out to the nearest Axes location or contact us online to ascertain if gait analysis in Earth City, MO is right for you.